This Week In Washington, Nov 27

This Week In Washington

Top 5 Stories This Week

1.     During negotiations in Geneva, the P5+1 nations and Iran reached an interim agreement to curb the Islamic republic's nuclear program in exchange for relief from international sanctions.

Look ahead: The historic shift in U.S.-Iranian relations, punctuated by the signing Saturday of a six-month, nuclear-freeze deal both Israel and Saudi Arabia had loudly opposed, could potentially transform the entire region.

   2.     Following the Senate's failure to advance the National Defense Authorization Act this week, the House and Senate Armed Services Committees are pushing for passage before the end of the year.

Look ahead:  If senators fail to reach an agreement, Armed Services Committee members in both chambers are considering using a legislative maneuver that would skip passage of the legislation in the Senate and instead go to a conference committee.

   3.      The Obama administration will delay small-business enrollment under the Affordable Care Act for one year.

Look ahead: With the administration's deadline to fix the Obamacare website less than a week away, one question is bound to weigh heavily on the debate over the system: How well does it have to operate to be considered "fixed"?

    4.      The Treasury Department proposed new regulations on the political activity of tax-exempt groups; the guidance is designed to create clear enforcement parameters for the IRS.

Look ahead: The regulations on political activity are subject to additional deliberations and a public-comment period, and are unlikely to be finalized before the 2014 elections.

    5.      The Supreme Court has agreed to hear two private companies' challenges to the Affordable Care Act's contraception mandate.

Look ahead: The Court is expected to hear the cases in March and issue decisions by June.

Happy Thanksgiving.

5 Top Stories in Washington DC Nov 22

This Week In Washington

Top 5 Stories

 1.      The Senate approved a rules change that eliminates the filibuster on all presidential nominees except those to the Supreme Court, after Majority Leader Harry Reid invoked the "nuclear option."

Look ahead: The new system could ease the way for President Obama's nominees, but Republicans warned that Democrats could regret the change when the GOP regains control of the White House and Senate.

 2      House Republicans are mounting a messaging campaign designed to wage a cascading series of attacks on the Affordable Care Act.

Look ahead: A memo distributed to members this week outlines the strategy, which involves soliciting comments from individuals affected by the health care law.

3.      While some observers are cautiously optimistic Senate Budget Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., could reach a narrow agreement to replace some of the sequester cuts, but others remain at odds over the appropriate strategy.

Look ahead: With few signs of progress emerging from the budget conference committee's negotiations, at least two of its members, Sens. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., have already begun discussing a Plan B.

4.      Senate Republicans blocked a vote on amendments to the defense authorization bill that addressed military sexual assault, citing Majority Leader Harry Reid's apparent unwillingness to allow debate on GOP amendments.

Look ahead: A proposal from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., that would remove military sexual assault cases from the military chain of command has the backing of 53 senators, but lacks the requisite 60 votes.

5.      Secretary of State John Kerry announced the United States and Afghanistan have agreed to terms for the Bilateral Security Agreement governing relations between the countries after 2014.

Look ahead: Afghan President Hamid Karzai endorsed the pact before a gathering of elders, but sought to defer signing it, leaving his successor to formalize the agreement following the April elections.

Top 5 Stories in Washington DC, Nov 15th

This Week In Washington

Top 5 Stories

 1.  President Obama acknowledged the rollout of the Affordable Care Act "has been rough," and extended the law's grandfather clause to allow insurers to continue enrolling consumers through 2014 in plans that do not meet the law's requirements.

Look ahead: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said House Democrats have their own plan to resolve the insurance cancellations triggered by the health care law.

2     2.  The Health and Human Services Department released the long-awaited enrollment numbers for the Affordable Care Act, revealing 106,185 people have selected a plan using the exchanges.

Look ahead: Government and contract workers report HealthCare.gov can handle only half its projected volume, and technical issues may not be resolved by the Nov. 30 deadline set by the administration.

3        3.  The budget conference committee remains far from a deal, with House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan and Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray negotiating on behalf of their respective parties.

Look ahead: Ryan conceded the panel—which will not convene again until after Thanksgiving—may miss the Dec. 13 deadline for an agreement.

4       4.  The Obama administration is urging the Senate to hold off on strengthening sanctions against Iran, with Secretary of State John Kerry telling the Banking Committee on Wednesday the move could jeopardize negotiations.

Look ahead: A faction of Armed Services Committee members is pushing the Banking Committee to lead the charge on sanctions, in order to avoid attaching the controversial measure to the defense-authorization bill.

5    5.      The Senate on weighed the nomination of Janet Yellen to lead the Federal Reserve; the Fed vice chairwoman told lawmakers that while the economy has made "good progress" since the recession, the central bank's quantitative easing measures should continue.

Look ahead: If confirmed by the Senate as expected, Yellen will arguably be the most powerful woman in Washington.

Twitter:  @themeyersgroup

NIH Resumes Grant Programs

The National Institutes of Health published guidance to grant recipients on the agency’s plans to resume normal operations following the government shutdown. Many grant deadlines have been extended into November. Read the guidance here.

Govt Shutdown? $6.3 Billion awarded during 16 days of shutdown

The Defense Department awarded 95 contracts valued at more than $6.3 billion during the 16 days of the government shutdown this month, with the Air Force and Navy awarding contracts valued $2.7 billion and $2.1 billion dollars, respectively.

The Pentagon, which ordinarily announces awards of contracts valued at more than $6.5 million on a daily basis, suspended the announcements – but not the awards – until Friday, when it posted all the contracts that met the threshold since Oct. 1.

Air Force Space Command leading new effort to revamp satellite acquisitions

Air Force Space Command is leading a new effort to revamp satellite acquisitions.  

Its called  "space modernization initiative." The goal is to reduce cost and build satellites that are less susceptible to enemy jamming or physical attacks. 

The U.S. Air Force, which oversees most military space programs, has tried several methods to cut costs and spur innovation.

"Are there better, more affordable ways to provide these capabilities?" asks Air Force Brig. Gen. Roger W. Teague, director of strategic plans, programs and analyses at Air Force Space Command.

In search of answers and fresh ideas, Teague is leading a new effort to revamp satellite acquisitions, called "space modernization initiative." The goal is to both reduce cost and build satellites that are less susceptible to enemy jamming or physical attacks.

$94 Billion for Cyber Budget

U.S. cyber security spending will reach $94 billion between 2013 and 2023, according to a new study by market research firm ASDReports.

This makes the U.S. the largest market for cybersecurity firms, followed by Europe at $25 billion, Asia-Pacific at $23 billion, the Middle East at $22.8 billion and Latin America at $1.6 billion.

Most of the expenditure in this sector is generated by the private sector, but government spending has increased.  Private and public spending is almost the same, $94 billion over the next 10 years.